The Eltham Redbacks are thrilled to welcome Aleena Gutszmit back to the club ahead of the 2026 VPLW campaign.
A committed and reliable defender who is comfortable in possession, Aleena played for Eltham in 2023 and 2024, before spending last season at Bundoora United under now-Redbacks head coach Jonathan Barrientos.
But Gutszmit’s links to the club stretch back even further, spending her early junior days up to U12s at Eltham, before embarking on a 7-year stretch in the NPLW program at FC Bulleen Lions.
“I’m super excited to be back at Eltham,” she says.
“It’s a really good club – even some of my little cousins play here. They’re really good at building youth to progress further.
“The culture here and the environment is really good.”
Gutszmit believes the intensity of Barrientos’ training regimen will give the Redbacks an advantage.
“I love that he keeps us super fit.
“I think that’s really important, especially in VPL.
“That’s what gave us more of an edge [last season] over other teams in the league.”
Gutszmit joins Aimie Adcock, Claudia Dimasi and Alessia Napolitano among the new arrivals at The Web this season.